#2016ClassicsChallenge

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This month's #2016ClassicsChallenge read!

[bookish-swiftie]

#2016ClassicsChallenge My first classic of the year - The Outsider by Susan E. Hinton Want to know more about this book? Click on the picture to see my whole post about it :)

[patheticphallacy]

Posted a book review for one of Penguin’s Little Black Classics, Come Close by Sappho! I really enjoyed it, and I’d love to know what everyone else is reading for prettybook’s 2016 Classics Challenge. 

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There's something magical about reading at Christmas time.

[missdarcy87]

2016 Classics Challenge Goal

A list of some Classic books I hope to read for the #2016classicschallenge

There is this fantastic challenge over at Pretty Books blog that challenges you to read one classic book a month. I love reading classic books, but I haven’t read any for a while, so I figure this is a great way to get back into it!  (more…)

[hopeful125]

Classic of the Month: Come Close by Sappho

Classic of the Month: Come Close by Sappho

Come Close by Sappho Published by Penguin Classics on February 26, 2015 Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Classical Pages: 55 Format: Paperback Source: Purchased 4.5/5 Stars Image Credit: Goodreads Sensual, sun-soaked verse on love and the gods in Ancient Greece, from the poet named ‘the tenth Muse’ by Plato. This month’s classic, Come Close by Sappho, was a short but sweet interlude between all the new…

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This is my April TBR: • Endgame: Sky Key (James Frey) • Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Sáenz). • The Neverending Story (Michael Ende), for #2016Reread • Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) • Persuasion (Jane Austen), for #2016ClassicsChallenge

Hoping for a good reading month! :)

[lasylphe-blog]

Book Review as part of the 2016 Classics Challenge

Peter Pan is a well known classic that I read as part of the Classics Challenge in March. It seems almost unnecessary to summarise the plot but I'll do it anyway, here we go! Wendy and her two younger brothers John and Michael live in a very happy family. Their parents Mr. and Mrs. Darling love them dearly and they are well protected by their dog and nurse, Nana. One night, Peter Pan, a young boy who still has all his first teeth, enters their room to take them to Neverland. They had already heard of Peter Pan, dreamt of him. Now they are flying away with him to Neverland, across the Mermaid's Lagoon, Captain Hooks pirate ship and to where the Lost Boys live, Peter's friends. Wendy takes care of them as a real mother would, she tucks them in at night and cooks make-believe dinners. In the daytime, they bravely fight Captain Hook and discover Neverland. Many adventures pass and John an Michael do not seem to remember their real parents anymore. Wendy knows, they have to return home but Peter tries to prevent her from leaving. In the end, after an especially long and difficult fight against Captain Hook, the three kids return home where they continue to tell stories about Peter Pan. The Lost Boys go with them and are taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Darling, who allow Wendy to visit Peter once a year. It is revealed that Peter forgets to visit sometimes and Wendy does not encounter him until she is grown and has a little daughter of her own, Jane. When Peter visits her one last time, she cannot go with him as she is an adult, but she lets him take Jane with him. I am not sure what to think of this book, I definitely enjoyed it and it helped me calm down at night so that I might sleep a little better. Still it was very strange, though I knew it was going to be a confusing novel even before I started to read it. Wendy is sometimes seen as a love interest, then again as a mother and definitely way to serious and responsible to be only a child of 14 years. What I thought was particularly interesting, was Peter himself, his anxiety and childish mindset. Unfortunately, we do not get to know much about his past, only that he sometimes cries at night and longs desperately for a motherly figure, contradicting his general disapproval of "Mothers". He forgets very fast, allowing him to live so innocently and free as only children can. I do not know whether to pity him or be a little jealous. Probably both. While I would love to have the same freedom Peter possesses, I do love my family very much and I am not afraid of growing up. But do we really grow up completely anyways? :)

[theresalikesbooks]

August Classic

Yikes! We are only 3 days away from October, and I’m just now posting about August’s class…oops?  Better late than never, right? August’s Classic Check it out on Goodreads Originally Published: 1895 My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Synopsis: Here is Oscar Wilde’s most brilliant tour de force, a witty and buoyant comedy of manners that has delighted millions in countless productions since its first…

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Classic of the Month: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Classic of the Month: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens Published by Penguin Classics on October 30, 2oo3 Genres: Classics, Fiction, Holiday, Literary Pages: 288 Format: Paperback Source: Library 4/5 Stars Image and Description Credit: Goodreads Dickens’ story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by a series of ghostly visitors, has proved one…

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My June wrap-up is here! 📚😊 I had a ridiculously good reading month, reading ten books (including two mangas) and a shortstory, which add up to a total of 4752 pages! The books I read were: Red Rising by Pierce Brown (4,5/5 🌟), Consider Phlebas by Iain Banks (3/5 🌟), Effi Briest by Theodor Fontane (4,5/5 🌟), which I read for the #2016ClassicsChallenge, Ancillary Sword (4,5/5 🌟) and Ancillary Mercy (5/5 🌟) by Ann Leckie, Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult (3/5 🌟), The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (5/5 🌟), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (5/5 🌟), which I read for #Harry Potter And The Cursed Readalong, Loveless 2 & 3 by Yun Kōga (4/5 🌟), which I read for #2016Reread and, last but not least, Gramma (5/5 🌟), a shortstory by Stephen King. 😊 My highlight of the month was The Luminaries, Consider Phlebas was probably my least favourite. Hoping for an equally good reading month in July! 📖😄 __________________ Wie immer gibt es meinen Lesemonatsrückblick auch noch ausführlicher auf meinem Blog. Ich würde mich auf jeden Fall freuen, wenn ihr mal vorbeischaut, solltet ihr Interesse daran haben! 😊

[lasylphe-blog]

2016 Classics Challenge   February

I read “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee last month.

I wrote a full review, just because I enjoy it but I might not do that for the next classic I’ll read. 

So I read this book in February as part of the classics challenge I decided to take part in this year. I know it is widely popular but until recently I didn't have the time and to be quite frank I was a tiny bit scared of reading a so-called classic (English isn't my mother tongue). I am incredibly glad I finally picked up this wonderful novel but at the same time deeply saddened as I heard of the tragic passing of the literary genius Harper Lee, when I was just halfway through the book. That is why I want to dedicate this review to her. I'll start with a quick summary, although I guess many already know the general plot of this novel. The main protagonist is Jean Louise Finch, called "Scout", a little 6 year old girl. She tells the story out of her point of view (through a child's eyes) over the course of three years, giving insight in her family, which consists of her older brother Jem and her father Atticus, as well as the sleepy everyday life in her southern hometown of Maycomb, Alabama, starting off in the mid 1930s. Her life basically consists of games and plays out in the summer sun with her brother and their friend Dill who only stays in Maycomb over the summer. Together they imagine adventures and solve mysteries, especially one revolving around the Radley mansion and the Radley's son Boo who has supposedly been locked inside the house his entire life. In a small town where everyone knows everyone, Scout meets a whole bunch of folks of different backgrounds, deals with wisdom and stupidity and growing up a little. Yet the key plot point happens a bit into the book. Atticus works as a lawyer and is a respectable man of good morally standards. In this deeply southern town at a time like this, racism was still quite prominent and surely an open secret. However, Atticus manages to look past such behaviour and shares very modern views on equality and righteousness. When a black man, Tom Robinson, is accused of raping the young country girl Mayella Ewell, he takes the case on to defend Tom, attempting to do what no on dares to even try. Although Atticus delivers a convincing speech, listing every reason for Toms innocence and even pointing out Mayella's father Bob Ewell as a liar and true criminal, he still looses the case. Once again a black man is unrightfully accused and has to burden a punishment simply because of his skin colour. In the end, Bob Ewell even tries to kill or hurt Scout and Jem out of spite and anger about his damaged reputation (that hasn't been very good to begin with). Fortunately he isn't successful and the children are not gravely harmed, yet Bob Ewell commits unintended suicide. I cannot begin to describe the feelings I have towards this book. Not often do I praise a book so highly and this isn't something I typically read. For me as a foreigner, the language was still easy to understand and the accents seemed interesting and quite fun to read. The relevance of this novel today is incredible and prompts me to think about how unfortunately little we evolved and how much is there that needs to be changed. Especially with the Black Lives Matter movement, I recognised the ignorance and stupidity that still exists in this world when it comes to believes like equality and even "normal human things" like kindness and solidarity. My feelings and opinion towards the topic where entirely and perfectly expressed trough Harper Lee's written words. Some things specifically shook me when I read them, for instance the double standards that are described near the end. The horrible treatment of the Jews in Nazi-Germany is finally compared to the situation of black people and the white supremacy, yet everyone seems oblivious of the matter and ignores the bad taste left in their mouths when finding poor excuses for their awful behaviour. Moving on, while Scout is only 6 years old at the beginning of the novel, she quickly learns her place in the world as a girl. She is repeatedly told not to wear overalls and behave more ladylike but remains a strong character who is smart and well aware of what is happening around her. I liked her determination and cleverness and loved to watch her grow. The brother-sister relationship was also very refreshing and sweet for me to read about, their interaction with Atticus seemed interesting and unique. Last but not least, oh so many great quotes came out of this book and I decided to wrap this review up with one of my faves. “I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.” 

[epalmerbrown]

The Female Man

When I discovered this Classic

I found this Classic on Forbidden Planet’s list of 50 must-read SF books.

Why I chose to read it

I’d never heard of Joanna Russ (the highest-ranked female author on the list after Ursula Le Guin), and it seemed like a good opportunity to discover a new (to me) author.

What makes it a Classic

May’s Classic has the distinction of being both Classic Sci-Fi (an…

[theresalikesbooks]

August Wrap-Up!

This may be late, but I’m doing it anyway!  I had a pretty great August, bookish and non-bookish!  I cannot believe that we are already almost halfway through with September though. Where has 2016 gone?! BOOKS READ I read a total of six books in August! – A Long Way From You by Gwendolyn Heasley \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – The Program by Suzanne Young \\ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️…

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Classic of the Month: King Lear

Classic of the Month: King Lear

King Lear by William Shakespeare Published by Signet in June 1998 Genres: Classics, Fiction, Plays, Drama Pages: 275 Format: Paperback Source: Library 2/5 Stars Image and Description Credit: Goodreads King Lear, growing old and too tired to reign, decides to divide his realm amongst his three daughters, leaving the largest share to the one who loves him the most. His two eldest daughters, Goneril…